Happy Birthday William Hung! Here’s His Original ‘Idol’ Audition

NEW YORK - APRIL 9: Singer William Hung performs at IMX: Interactive Music Xchange at the Fuse studios April 9, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)

William Hung, a.k.a. the worst singer to ever get a record deal, celebrates his 29th birthday today! Re-live the hilarity of his original American Idol audition that instantly launched a massive cult following.

There have been dozens and dozens of bad auditions on Idol since it began. There are bad auditions, there are auditions that are so bad they’re good, and then there’s William Hung.

His fateful performance of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” ended up launching a cult following that still goes strong today. Hung has released three albums since getting his record deal soon after that, um, “performance.”

It could be argued that Hung is the original performer who is celebrated on the internet for being bad rather than good. His awesome terrible-ness was a viral sensation before Rebecca Black even finished grade school.

Hung’s unflappably positive attitude about the whole thing played a big role in making him a cult figure. On a show where most bad auditions come from delusional kids who storm out of the room screaming and crying in denial, Hung was a breath of fresh air.

Is there a better bad singer in the history of music? Share your thoughts in the comments!